Readings, hymns and sermon ideas for Sunday 20 September 2020, Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard’ (Matthew 20: 1) … at work in a vineyard in Platanias near Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Next Sunday, 20 September 2020, is the Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XV).

The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are in two sets, the Continuous Readings and the Paired Readings:

The Continuous Readings: Exodus 16: 2-15; Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45; Philippians 1: 21-30; Matthew 20: 1-16.

There is a link to the Continuous Readings HERE.

The Paired Readings: Jonah 3: 10 to 4: 11; Psalm 145: 1-8; Philippians 1: 21-30; Matthew 20: 1-16.

There is a link to the Paired Readings HERE.

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard’ (Matthew 20: 1) … at work in a vineyard in Rivesealtes, near Perpignan in southern France (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Introducing the Readings:

In the first reading, the freed slaves mumble (Exodus 16: 2) against God in the wilderness, as they wish to return to the fleshpots of Egypt, in the same way as the workers who have been in the field all day murmur about those who have arrived late and been paid a full day’s wage (Matthew 20: 11).

The Greek verb γογγύζω (gongootzo) means to murmur, mutter, grumble, or to say anything against someone else in a low tone. It implies people are talking among themselves secretly as they complain and let one another know about their discontent.

In the wilderness, the people are murmuring against Moses and Aaron. But, in reality, they are mumbling and grumbling against God. And yet God answers them by showing God’s bounty and his generosity. In the vineyard, the labourers are mumbling and murmuring about their fellow workers. But, in resenting what others have, they are murmuring and grumbling not just about what they have been given, but against the one who has given to them, the one who has been generous in abundance to others.

We live in a society where begrudgery is part and parcel of what is culturally acceptable as attitude. It is acceptable – instead of giving thanks for what we have been given – to resent what others receive.

And yet, should we ever envy someone else’s blessings?

Should we ever mumble about the abundance others appear to have when we know not what problems they have to live with?

How easy is it to begrudge others what they have, rather than thanking God for the blessings we have been given?

‘The Gathering of the Manna’ by James Tissot

Exodus 16: 2-15:

The people of Israel have travelled into the wilderness beyond the Nile delta. When they find they cannot drink the water, they complain to Moses. God has tested their faith: if they accept him by trusting that he will feed them and rule them, then he will protect them rather than judging and destroying them.

Now, however, the entire community complains or grumbles ‘against Moses and Aaron’ about their food, or lack of it. They would prefer to have died during the plagues in Egypt where they sat by the fleshpots and ate their fill of bread. Now, instead, they fear dying en masse of hunger.

God hears their cry, their complaining, and immediately responds to their needs, promising them ‘bread from heaven’ (later called ‘manna’). There shall be enough in the morning for each day, but a double portion to collect on the sixth day, so they can rest on the Sabbath.

However, Moses and Aaron warn the people that their problems are not with them but with God, who gives them their authority as leaders.

Moses, Aaron and the people then see God’s presence or the ‘glory of the Lord’ which appears ‘in the cloud.’

God then also gives them ‘quails’ to eat ‘in the evening.’

But are the people satisfied? In the reading next Sunday (Exodus 17: 1-7), they once again complain, this time that have not enough to drink, and once again say they might have been better off had they stayed in Egypt.

The manna in the wilderness is a honey-like excretion from particular insects that infest tamarisk trees in the area. When it drops from the leaves it becomes almost solid, but in the heat of the day it melts, so it must be collected in the morning. That sufficient was available to feed all is a sign of special intervention by God. The name manna comes from the Hebrew or Aramaic ‘What is it?’ (man hu). The people ask what do you call it?

In the ‘Bread of Life’ discourse in Saint John’s Gospel, the manna becomes a foretaste of the Eucharist (see John 6: 26-51):

‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves’ (verse 26). So they said to him … ‘Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat”.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ (verses 30-34).

Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty … I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh’ (verses 30-51).

‘He spread a cloud for covering, and fire to give light by night’ (Psalm 105: 39) … evening lights in Rathcoole, Co Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45:

As we have seen in past weeks (26 July, 9 and 30 August), this psalm gives thanks to God for his saving acts in history. It urges all to ‘give thanks to the Lord,’ to call on his name, to tell what he has done, to hold him in glory, to rejoice in him, and to continually seek him.

This Psalm calls on the ‘children of Jacob’ and descendants of Abraham (verse 6) – not just Joseph and his brothers, but all people in the community of faith – to give thanks to God, to call upon him, to sing to him, to recall his mighty works, to give him glory and to rejoice (verses 1-4).

We are to search for God with all our strength, and to recall his great deeds (verses 5-6).

This portion takes us from the departure from Egypt, laden with ‘silver and gold’ (verse 37), led through the wilderness by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night (Verse 39), receiving manna and quail as ‘food from heaven’ (verse 40) and water from the rock (verse 41). All these were signs of God’s enduring faithfulness to the promises made to Abraham (verse 42).

But the people are reminded that the whole purpose of this dramatic liberation was so that people would be obedient to God and freely worship him in praise (verses 43-45).

‘Striving side by side with one mind’ (Philippians 1: 27) … striking workers marching side-by-side in a protest in Thessaloniki, 150 km west of Philippi (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Philippians 1: 21-30:

For much of this year, we have been reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Now, for the next four weeks, we are reading from his Letter to the Philippians.

Philippi was the first church Saint Paul established on continental Europe (see Acts 16: 9-40). This city, 150 km east of Thessaloniki in north-east Greece, was named after its founder, Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. By Saint Paul’s time, it a prosperous Roman colony.

This letter is written by Saint Paul and Saint Timothy, ‘servants of Christ Jesus,’ from prison, perhaps in Ephesus or in Rome, perhaps under house arrest, although we are not told. It is possible that letter is made up of three letters. It contains many personal references, exhorts church members in Philippi to live the Christian life and to good ethical conduct, introduces Timothy and Epaphroditus as his representatives, and warns against legalists and libertines. Lastly, he thanks the members of the Church in Philippi for their material support.

Realising that he may be facing death, Saint Paul considers what this may mean.

For Saint Paul, Christ gives meaning to life and death: if he is to live, he is to continue to work for Christ; if he is to die, then he is to gain oneness with Christ. Which should he prefer?

Whether he should live or die, he urges the members of the church in Philippi as a community to live in a way that reflects their faith and the Gospel. They are to stand firm in the Spirit, side by side with one another, and not to be intimidated by their opponents who want to destroy them. Their suffering for Christ is a privilege, and they share this privilege with Paul in his present state in life.

‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right’ (Matthew 20: 4) … vines in the vineyard at Aghia Irini Monastery, south of Rethymnon in Crete (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 20: 1-16:

‘The last will be first, and the first will be last’ (Matthew 20: 16).

The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard, despite being well-known, is found only in Saint Matthew’s Gospel. As with every parable, it is worth looking at the principal characters in this passage:

1, The landowner: he is called the οἰκοδεσπότης (oikodespotés, the head of the household or the owner of the land, but in verse 8 is revealed to be not merely the owner of the vineyard, as the NRSVA translates it, but ὁ κύριος (ho kyrios), the Lord.

2, The labourers (εργάτες, ergates): they are called at five different times in the day: early in the morning, at nine o’clock, at noon, at three and at five.

3, The manager in verse 8: he is the ἐπίτροπος (epitropos) or steward, an administrator with authority. He calls the labourers in the field back together in one group at the end of the day, at the end of their time in the field.

The parable brings together town (ἀγορά, agora) and countryside, and there are many strange sequences and comparisons in this one parable.

It is strange that the landowner appears to miscalculate his need for help at least five times during the day: early in the morning, at 9 a.m., at 12 noon, at 3 p.m. and again at 5 p.m.

The landowner then appears to be unfair in the way he rewards those who work on his behalf. But did you notice how this passage begins ‘… the kingdom of heaven is like …’ and that the wages stand for God’s grace.

God chooses to give (verse 14) the same to all: the landowner pays ‘whatever is right’ (verse 4) – there is no social discrimination or class distinction in the Kingdom of Heaven.

God is generous to all who believe. To those who first heard this story, many of the workers in the vineyard would seem less deserving at first. Yet, those who are hired ‘about five o’clock’ or at the end of the day (verse 6), will be treated generously too. This is God’s free choice. All who are called by God are true disciples are equal in God’s eyes, however and whenever they come to answer that call. What matters are God’s call and our response.

There is an unexpected sequence in verse 16: those who were hired last are paid first (verse 8); those who have worked all day expect, but do not receive, a bonus. In Jesus’ day, opportunity and privilege were far from equal. Here he goes against contemporary thinking and action. We are all dependent on God’s mercy. A scholar has defined a parable as a metaphor or simile drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving the mind in sufficient doubt about its precise application to tease it into active thought.

‘Fruit of the vine and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink’ (Luke 22: 17-18) … grapes ripening on a vine in Platanias, near Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

A reflection on the readings:

Bread and wine provide perfect examples of that co-operation between God’s creative generosity and the rewards that come with human labour.

The seed is planted in the field. But without the sunshine and the rain from heaven it cannot become the wheat that God plans for it. Without the farmer’s labour in the field it cannot be harvested. And without the work of human hands, the grains of wheat cannot become flour and bread.

The vine is planted in the soil, but without the sunshine and the rain from heaven it cannot grow the grapes. Without the work of the labourers in the vineyard, those grapes cannot be harvested. And without the work of human hands – or feet, as the case may be – those grapes never reach their potential for producing wine.

Notice how many aspects are brought together in one: the Creator and the Creation; God and humanity; food and drink; agriculture and industry.

Food and drink – both are dependent on God’s gifts and on human labour. How appropriate it is then that they are the sacramental elements when we celebrate the Holy Communion, the Eucharist.

Throughout his earthly ministry, Christ interacts so often with people as they share these simple elements of bread and wine – meals with the disciples; meals with Zacchaeus the tax collector and Simon the Pharisee; meals with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus …

The work of the past sustains us in the food of the present and brings us the promise of the future. And so, the three Eucharistic prayers in the Book of Common Prayer, in their opening addresses to God as Father, first praise him and thank him for all his work in creation.

In some of the Eucharistic texts used in the Church of England and other traditions, there is an adaptation of the traditional Jewish table-blessings, drawn in turn from the Bible, that says at the Taking of the Bread and the Wine:

Priest: Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation:
through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made (Ecclesiastes 3: 13-14).
It will become for us the bread of life (John 6: 35).

All: Blessed be God forever (Psalm 68: 36).

Priest: Blessed are you Lord, God of all creation:
through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink (Luke 22: 17-18).

All: Blessed be God forever (Psalm 68: 36).

[See Common Worship (Church of England), p 291.]

God’s blessings are abundant. Even when we mumble and grumble, moan and groan, murmur and complain!

In the first reading, the freed slaves mumble (Exodus 16: 2) against God in the wilderness, as they wish to return to the fleshpots of Egypt, in the same way as the workers who have been in the field all day murmur about those who have arrived late and been paid a full day’s wage (Matthew 20: 11).

In his generosity, the owner of the field takes on those who are unemployable, those who are the long-term unemployed, or those who are unemployed because they are outside the normal social boundaries.

Why does the owner of the vineyard not take them on at the earlier stages of the day? Because they were not there? Because they were socially invisible? Because they were outsiders? Because they were old, disabled, or minding their children and unable to come to seek work?

We do not know. But they still had the same needs as everyone else who was working that day. They still had to pay the rent and put food on the table. And who knows what life was like for them when they went home and closed the front door?

Would it have been better that they were not recruited? That the harvest was left without being brought in?

And yet, even the murmurers and grumblers in the field hold on to their day’s pay. When the owner hears them murmuring, he corrects them, but he does not take away what he has already given them. Why, they might even have been brought back to work again the next day.

The murmurers in the wilderness still have their hunger met with the bread of heaven. And in such abundance, that on Friday they are given twice as much as they need so they can have a day of rest on the seventh day.

God’s generosity comes to us in abundance, and his response to our needs is so often one of unexpected bounty and generosity.

The Lord hears our complaints, whether they are justified or not, and the Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The response to God’s generosity, as the Psalm reminds us, must be to give thanks and to make known his holy name (Psalm 105: 1), to rejoice, and to delight in being in his presence (see verse 4).

The word Eucharist (εὐχαριστία, efcharistía) means ‘thanksgiving’ and as a verb, εὐχαριστῶ (efcharisto) means ‘to thank.’

And so when we come to the table at the Eucharist, to receive the Holy Communion, we gather to give thanks in God’s presence, to praise him for his holy name and thank him for his generosity and his marvellous works.

And appropriately we say thanks with bread and wine, fruit of the fields and work of human hands, the work of the Creator and the Created, the work of fields and factories. And there we find God’s presence among us.

And when hearts seek the Lord, and find that God responds, our response should not be one of begrudgery or murmuring, but one of rejoicing, one of praise, one of thanksgiving.

‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went … to hire labourers for his vineyard’ (Matthew 20: 1) ... a small vineyard in Platanias, near Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 20: 1-16 (NRSVA):

1 [Jesus said,] ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; 4 and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” 7 They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” 9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” 13 But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

‘Each of them received the usual daily wage’ (Matthew 20: 10) … a monument to workers’ struggles and the 1913 lockout in Nenagh, Co Tipperary (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Liturgical Resources:

Liturgical Colour: Green (Ordinary Time, Year A)

The Collect of the Day:

God,
who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
Grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel;
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect of the Word:

Loving and righteous God,
your boundless generosity exceeds all that we can desire or deserve,
and you give to the last worker
all you promised to the first:
liberate us from all jealousy and greed,
that we may b free to love and serve others,
and in your service may find our true reward;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Eternal God,
we have received these tokens of your promise.
May we who have been nourished with holy things
live as faithful heirs of your promised kingdom.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

‘He spread a cloud for covering, and fire to give light by night’ (Psalm 105: 39) … evening lights at Minster Pool, below Lichfield Cathedral, (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Suggested Hymns:

Exodus 16: 2-15:

325, Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here
549, Dear Lord and Father of mankind
647, Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
425, Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts
588, Light of the minds that know him
431, Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour
589, Lord, speak to me that I may speak
657, O God of Bethel, by whose hand
435, O God, unseen, yet ever near
445, Soul, array thyself with gladness

Psalm 105: 1-6, 37-45:

398, Alleluia! sing to Jesus
411, Draw near, and take the body of the Lord
647, Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
422, In the quiet consecration
588, Light of the minds that know him
708, O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height
365, Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of creation
368, Sing of the Lord’s goodness
624, Speak, Lord, in the stillness

Jonah 3: 10 to 4: 11:

No suggested hymns

Psalm 145: 1-8:

24, All creatures of our God and King
358, King of glory, King of peace
360, Let all the world in every corner sing
104, O for a thousand tongues to sing
368, Sing of the Lord’s goodness
374, When all thy mercies, O my God

Philippians 1: 21-30:

560, Alone with none but thee, my God
517, Brother, sister, let me serve you
566, Fight the good fight with all thy might
461, For all thy saints, O Lord
272, Jesus lives: thy terrors now
425, Jesus, thou joy of loving hearts
588, Light of the minds that know him
81, Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided
661, Through the night of doubt and sorrow

Matthew 20: 1-16:

645, Father, hear the prayer we offer
39, For the fruits of his creation
454, Forth in the peace of Christ we go
567, Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
219, From heav’n you came, helpless babe
636, May the mind of Christ my Saviour
446, Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands
597, Take my life, and let it be
8, The Lord is King! Lift up your voice
372, Through all the changing scenes of life
450, Upon thy table, Lord, we place
145, You servants of the Lord

‘And in the morning you shall have your fill of bread’ (Exodus 16: 12) … a variety of bread in the early morning in a bakery in Platanias near Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The hymns suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.

‘He spread a cloud for covering, and fire to give light by night’ (Psalm 105: 39) … evening lights in Valencia (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Harvest readings, hymns and resources for Year A, 2020

Harvest time and harvest resources … harvest in a field near Cappoquin, Co Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Patrick Comerford

Many parishes, clergy and readers are preparing to mark Harvest this year, even if the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions mean any plans for Harvest Thanksgiving Services are in doubt and uncertain.

One option for parishes may be to celebrate Harvest in one of the ordinary, weekly Sunday services.

These resources are designed to help plan Harvest celebrations, either as a special Harvest Thanksgiving Service, or as a Sunday service with a Harvest theme. There are links to and commentaries on the readings, links to prayer resources, the Harvest propers, including the Collect and the Post-Communion prayer, suggested hymns, and suitable photographs to download and use on service sheets, parish notices or power point presentations. By clicking on an image, you can get a full-screen image to download.

Introducing the Readings:

The Harvest readings in the Revised Common Lectionary for Year A are: Deuteronomy 8: 7-18; Psalm 65; II Corinthians 9: 6-15; Luke 17: 11-19.

There is a link to the readings HERE

‘Bless the LORD your God for the good land that he has given you’ (Deuteronomy 8: 10) … harvest time on a farm near Cappoquin, Co Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Deuteronomy 8: 7-18:

The people of Israel are exhorted that when they prosper materially they are not forget the Lord their God.

While they are wandering in the wilderness, the people who are escaping from slavery in Egypt suffer continually but are reminded that when they reach the Promised Land and find prosperity, they may well forget about obeying God.

They are reminded that when we eat and are satisfied, we are to thank and bless God for what he has given us. There is a real danger that when we have eaten our hearts become haughty. In times of plenty, we are to remember that it is God who brought us out of slavery, led us and fed them, and who gives us any prosperity we enjoy.

It is not by their own power and might that we may become wealthy, but this is due to God’s gifts, which follow the promises he made in the past with our ancestors.

‘You make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy’ (Psalm 65: 8) … a gateway into harvest fields near Barntown, Co Wexford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Psalm 65:

All creation gives praise to God, who is the hope of all the ends of the earth and who crowns the year with goodness.

In Psalm 65, all flesh, all people, praise God for the harvest. He answers prayers and forgives. Those whom he chooses he brings to worship in his courts, in the Temple. His goodness is shown in his presence and his gifts, especially the rain. All people everywhere should hope in him and praise him.

In this psalm, God is praised for his work in creation. He overcomes chaos and the tumult, and so makes farming possible. He makes the land fertile by providing sunshine and water in the rivers and the rains, he provides the earth with grain and enriches the pastures. Grapes grow on the hillsides, and the wine from them causes joy.

All people are blessed by God’s bounty, and all things in nature ‘sing together for joy.’

‘God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance’ (II Corinthians 9: 8) … a full barn on my grandmother’s former farm near Cappoquin, Co Waterford (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

II Corinthians 9: 6-15:

In the epistle reading, Saint Paul reminds us that when God sows and reaps, he provides abundantly. ‘He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures for ever’ (II Corinthians 9: 9).

In this letter, Saint Paul suggests to the Christians in Corinth that their generosity is proof of their love, and tells them that if we give generously, God gives to us generously.

This giving must be done freely, and not reluctantly. God provides us with blessings that we should share. Saint Paul quotes Psalm 112: 9: to give is to have lasting moral uprightness.

It is God who supplies seed for us. He multiplies our giving, for our benefit, in spiritual riches.

Saint Paul then describes Corinthian generosity not just as a ministry, as the NRSVA translates it: the word he uses here is λειτουργία (leitourgia), liturgy, the public service of religious worship. Helping others in their material needs is a liturgical action with spiritual benefits, for the recipients give thanks to God.

In acts of sharing and generosity, we put the Gospel into practice and glorify God. Those the Corinthian Christians share with, return that generosity with love, which is a gift from God. This gift transcends earthly expectations, and involves Christ and the Holy Spirit, God’s supreme gifts.

‘Thanks go to God for his incredible gift’ (II Corinthians 9: 15).

‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well’ (Luke 17: 19) … a pathway leads into a harvest field near Castleconnell, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Luke 17: 11-19:

This Gospel reading is not one we readily associate with Harvest time. Unlike the beautiful, rich harvest images in the first reading, unlike the images in the Epistle reading of sowing and reaping bountifully, and a harvest so blessedly abundant that it overflows into justice, righteousness, and the end of poverty for generations to come, this Gospel reading is not a pretty image.

It is a story of sickness, both personal sickness and the deeper malaise to be found in society; it is a story of marginalisation and discrimination; and a story of the use and the abuse of religious authority and power.

But then harvest is not just about bringing in the crops and giving thanks for God’s blessings on the land – however slim they may appear to be this year. Harvest, at a deeper level, is about the restorative justice that Christ seeks as a sign of what the Kingdom of God is like.

Try to imagine the horrific scene that confronted Jesus as he entered that village with no name in that dangerous zone between Samaria and Galilee on the way to Jerusalem … It is an isolated area, the sort of place where a man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho could expect to be mugged, robbed and left for dead, with anyone who saw him scurrying by hastily in fear that they too would be mugged (see Luke 10: 30-37).

In an area like that you could not expect a Good Samaritan to come by.

So this is wilderness country, bandit territory. And it is an area marked by discrimination and prejudice, deeply divided by sectarianism, racism and prejudice. Jews and Samaritans lived separate lives: they could not share the same food, the same shops, the same streets, even the same villages. Although they shared a similar religious heritage and stories, they despised each other.

And this is an area where those who are disabled or scarred by their physical ailments are cast aside, left on their own, without help or assistance from the community at any level – political, social, economic or religious.

Can you imagine the scene in this dangerous territory? After a long journey, Jesus appears to have reached the safety of a village. But just as he gets to the gates, out from the rocks appear a rough-looking gang of dishevelled, disfigured, bedraggled, unkempt and filthy men, shouting out loudly. How dangerous are they? Will they mug and rob him? If they come too close, will he be contaminated too?

But these men are so desperate, so isolated, instead of mugging or begging, they keep their distance and all they ask for is – mercy. Mercy is all they want. How much they must have despaired in their search for compassion and companionship that all they ask for now is – mercy.

And what Christ offers them is not mercy of the tea-and-sympathy sort. What he offers them, what he invites them to, is to be restored to, to accept again, their full place in society.

We do not know when they were healed. When they called out for mercy? When Jesus spoke to them? When they obeyed his command? Yet the healing is less important than the collective action they are asked to take. They are asked to go together and show themselves to the priests. To show themselves to the priests allowed them to get a clean bill of health so they could be restored to their place in normal family, village, community, social, political, economic and religious life.

The Kingdom of God is a place where all can take part in life, and life in all its fullness. And what these 10 people are offered is a place back in society that will be an example of what the Kingdom of God is like.

The Samaritan is the only one to come back and say thank you. But I often wonder why this Samaritan even bothers in the first place to think of going to show himself to the priests. The priests could offer or refuse a clean bill of health to the other nine. But they would never give a Samaritan a clean bill of health. He is an outsider. Healed or not, he remains contaminated, unclean, impure, despised, rejected and isolated. He is ‘one of them.’ He has no place with us.

But Christ is saying he has. Christ is counting him in. Jesus wants him to benefit from the great harvest and to sit down at the heavenly banquet.

The action of Christ in healing the Samaritan alongside the other nine, in sending him too to the priests to stake his claim to a full, restored place in society, tells us the Kingdom of God is there for all. All are invited into it. And when we start excluding others we too become weak, we too fail to reap the rich harvest that God offers us.

The Kingdom of God is offered too to the Samaritans in our midst, to those afflicted with anything that places them outside normal, acceptable life: the immigrant who is isolated because of the collapse of our economy or the rise in vulgar racism; the single mother; the farmer whose harvest hopes are not being realised; the child who cannot get a special needs assistant at school; the distraught couple minding demanding and aging grandparents; the once-successful businessman whose enterprise has gone to the wall; and the employees who have lost trust in him and hope in the future when they lost their jobs.

Too often in the past, our traditional Harvest Readings have been read both in a cosy, comfortable way, and in a way that separates the harvest from the full riches of creation. Yet those beautiful promises in the Old Testament reading of a rich, rich harvest were not made in a time of plenty. They were promises made to the people while they were still in the wilderness, when they were isolated in the desert, when they had been wandering for far too many years.

Even when there is little hope at harvest time, even at times when we feel most isolated, marginalised and unloved, God promises us a rich harvest that goes beyond this year’s yields, a harvest that will be so rich that we can also build up hopes for righteousness, for justice and for love.

And when the harvest is difficult, when we are not bringing in the returns we hoped for at the time of sowing, when economic gloom and doom appear to be imminent and the pandemic restrictions seem to turn everything sour, we should remember that God’s creation is more splendid and more beautiful than anything we can imagine.

We are going through trying, tough times at the moment when it comes to farming, the economy, the restrictions imposed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the changes that turn received values on their heads. But through all this we should remember that God is faithful to God’s promises, that when it comes to the real harvest that matters, there will be a place for everyone, especially those who have been marginalised, isolated and left to feel unloved.

In a world where the greedy take priority over the needy so that 30,000 people die each day because of poverty, God’s promise remains for a harvest that not only provides us with enough food and shelter but an abundance that allows us to measure out and ensure righteousness and justice for all.

God’s creation is filled with beauty from the very beginning. And if we believe this, if we gather hope from this year’s Harvest readings, then we must work too to see that the Church and our society, by our priorities and by our lifestyles, in our actions and in our prayers, in the ways we preach and live the Gospel, are signs, icons, symbols and sacraments of this hope for creation and the Kingdom of God..

As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him … they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ (Luke 17: 12-13)

Luke 17: 11-19 (NRSVA):

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ 14 When he saw them, he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’[c] feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, ‘Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ 19 Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’

‘Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness’ (the Harvest Collect) … harvest fields near Lichfield (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Liturgical resources:

Liturgical colour: Green (Ordinary Time, Year A).

The Collect:

Eternal God,
you crown the year with your goodness
and give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
Grant that we may use them to your glory,
for the relief of those in need
and for our own well-being;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Collect of the Word:

No Collect of the Word is provided for Harvest.

The Post Communion Prayer:

Lord of the harvest,
with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation
and have shared in the bread and wine of the kingdom.
By your grace plant within us such reverence
for all that you give us
that will make us wise stewards the of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

‘Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation’ (the Harvest Post-Communion Prayer) … harvest fields near Cambridge (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Hymns:

In the Church Hymnal, Hymns 37-47 are identified specifically as being suitable for Harvest:

37: Come, ye thankful people, come.
38: Father, blessing every seed-time
39: For the fruits of his creation
40: Father of mercies, God of love
41: God, whose farm is all creation
42: Good is the Lord, our heavenly king
43: Holy is the seed-time, when the buried grain
44: Praise and thanksgiving
45: Praise, O praise our God and king
46: Tá an fómhar seo go haerach, céad buíochas le hÍosa
47: We plough the fields and scatter

In addition, the hymns in the following section, Care for the Created Order (48-50), and the preceding section, God’s World (23-36), may be helpful in planning.

Bishop Edward Darling’s book, Sing to the Word (Oxford: OUP, 2000), recommends the following hymns in association with the readings for Year A:

Deuteronomy 8: 7-18:

42: Good is the Lord, our heavenly king
647: Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
539: Rejoice, O land, in God thy might
557: Rock of ages, cleft for me

Psalm 65:

612: Eternal Father, strong to save.
645: Father, hear the prayer we offer
42: Good is the Lord, our heavenly king
581: I, the Lord of sea and sky.
709: Praise the Lord! You heavens, adore him

II Corinthians 9: 6-15

10: All my hope on God is founded
38: Father, blessing every seed-time
40: Father of mercies, God of love
363: O Lord of heaven and earth and sea
47: We plough the fields and scatter

Luke 17: 11-19

92: How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
211: Immortal love for ever full
361: Now thank we all our God
104: O for a thousand tongues to sing
366: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
373: To God be the glory! Great things he has done!

‘We plough the fields and scatter’ (Hymn 47) … harvest in fields near the banks of the River Deel in Askeaton, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2020)

Other Harvest resources:

The Church of Ireland Bishops’ Appeal Fund is offering Harvest resources this year on Creation Time, including a Harvest Reflection about a Creator God who brings new life in a dry and barren land. These resources from the Bishops’ Appeal are available HERE.

Resources on Climate Change that are also relevant to Harvest themes are available from the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) HERE.

When other resources become available this year, links will be added on this page.

Please check back for updates as they become available.

Intercessions and prayers:

Let us pray for our world and all the people in it.
We pray for ourselves as we celebrate the harvest.
We are thankful for the good things that have come to us.
We may not till the fields, but we have been busy all year,
whether in workshops or at workstations,
in the office, the shop, the kitchen,
the community or the classroom.
Our achievements have been both great and small,
but all are of value and we thank God for them.

Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

We pray for those for whom there is no harvest;
those who have no work
or who are dispossessed by acts of war or natural disaster.
We pray for all those for whom life
is a struggle against starvation, disease, terror or oppression.
We pray for the wisdom to husband the earth’s resources wisely
and to hand them on to the next generation in good order.

Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

We pray for our Church, its clergy and its leaders,
that the will of the Lord may be done.
We pray for all people of faith throughout the world
that they may live in mutual respect and harmony.
May we be recognised as Christians by our love
and not be ashamed to confess our faith.

Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

We pray for the sick in body and mind
and for those who care for them;
may they be comforted and strengthened in their troubles.
We pray especially for any known to us
who are in special need of our prayers at this time.
We remember them now and lift them to the Lord in a moment of silence …

Lord, in your mercy:
Hear our prayer.

Jesus Christ is the light of the world,
a light which no darkness can quench.
We remember before God those who have died
and light a candle to symbolise the light of Christ,
which eternally shines and brings hope.
We remember …
You turn our darkness into light: in your light shall we see light.

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

‘Rejoice, O land, in God thy might’ (Hymn 539) … harvest time in Hertfordshire (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.

‘The one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully’ (II Corinthians 9: 6) … harvest fields in north Co Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Readings, hymns and sermon ideas for Sunday 13 September 2020, Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, Vocations Sunday

‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?’ (Matthew 18: 32-33) … a stained-glass window in Saint Michael’s Church, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Patrick Comerford

Next Sunday, 13 September 2020, is the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XIV), and is also Vocations Sunday in the Church of Ireland.

The readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are in two sets, the Continuous Readings and the Paired Readings:

The Continuous Readings: Exodus 14: 19-31; Psalm 114; Romans 14: 1-12; Matthew 18: 21-35.

There is a link to the Continuous Readings HERE.

The Paired Readings: Genesis 50: 15-21; Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13; Romans 14: 1-12; Matthew 18: 21-35.

There is a link to the Paired Readings HERE.

‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything’ (Matthew 18: 26) … old, worthless banknotes heaped up outside an antiques shop in Rethymnon (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Introducing the Readings:

There are a number of contrasting images in these readings: the slaves reaching freedom and dry land and their pursuers drowning in the sea, a story told in the first reading and recalled in the Psalm; the faith of those who are regarded as spiritually weak and the pitfalls facing those who in their arrogance believe they are spiritually strong; the limits we place on forgiveness and the over-abundant generosity and universal scope of God’s forgiveness.

What are the limits to my capacity to understand and forgive others?

And, are their limits to God’s willingness to forgive?

‘The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained’ (Exodus 14: 28) … an illustration in the ‘Passover Haggadah’ by the Polish-American artists Arthur Szyk

Exodus 14: 19-31:

After Egypt has suffered ten plagues sent by God, Pharaoh allows the Israelites to leave Egypt. The direct route to Canaan is along the coast of the Red Sea, but God leads the fleeing slaves by a ‘roundabout way towards the Sea of Reeds for, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt’ (see Exodus 13: 17-18).

God goes in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. But Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. When the people turn back at God’s behest, Pharaoh thinks they are now trapped and pursues them, preparing his chariots for battle (Exodus 14: 6). The sight of the Egyptian army strikes fear into the fleeing slaves. They have complained about Moses’ leadership, now they say they would prefer slavery to certain death. But Moses calms the people, and assures them of God’s plan to rescue if they do not panic. God has commanded Moses to divide the sea.

The ‘angel of God’ (verse 19) comes between the Israelites and the Egyptians, protecting God’s people and confusing the Egyptians, as does the ‘pillar of cloud.’

The Red Sea or Sea of Reeds is shallow and surrounded by marshy land. God uses a natural phenomenon to achieve his purpose: east winds strong enough to blow away the water blow up, and the battle turns when the Egyptian chariots bog down in the soft, muddy earth (verse 25) as the waters form a ‘wall’ (verses 22, 29).

God saves the people. Their slavery in Egypt is over. They have seen the marvellous works God does for them. Now they hold God in awe and trust in him. Whatever has happened in the Red Sea, God has set his people free, and they are on their way, led by Moses.

‘The Falling Angel,’ Marc Chagal (1947)

Psalm 114:

Psalm 114 is a lyrical account of how nature itself trembled and rejoiced at the Exodus, when the supreme Power intervened and recused the powerless. Part of the Psalm 114 is quoted at the beginning of Dante’s Purgatorio, and was associated with burial and funeral rites in the Mediaeval Church. This psalm begins with the Hebrew:

'בְּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִמִּצְרָיִם; בֵּית יַעֲקֹב, מֵעַם לֹעֵז'

In Hebrew this is an acrostic poem. It is also one of the so called Egyptian Hallel prayers, though it is sometimes ascribed to King David.

At eight verses, this psalm is comparatively concise. It is composed of four stanzas of two lines, which the word Jacob envelops. The two central stanzas evoke with images full of life the miracle of the Red Sea and the passage of the Jordan. God is evoked only at the end of the Psalm, doubtless to arouse the expectation.

The first stanza recalls by the verb that the Hebrew people are born in the Exodus. The words sanctuary and domain designate the entire inheritance of God, not only in the geographical sense but also in a spiritual sense. The miracles that allow Israel to cross the Red Sea and cross the River Jordan are poetically enhanced by the process of hyperbole and by images evoking a life of natural elements, water and mountains. It is a means of manifesting all creation, with Israel and actively participating in its march towards the Promised Land.

Verses 1-3 recall the Exodus and its initial and final events: the people led Egypt, and were able to cross the Red Sea and the Jordan.

Verse 4 may be referring to the earth tremors that accompanied God’s appearance on Mount Sinai.

Verses 5-6 ask why these miracles too place.

Verses 7-8 tell us this was because the Lord of all creation was present. He commanded water to spring from the rock, quenching the thirst of the people during the Exodus. As the physical earth responded to God’s command then, how do we respond?

‘Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister?’ (Romans 14: 10) … a pub sign in Truro, Cornwall (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2019)

Romans 14: 1-12:

The Apostle Paul continues to write in this letter about how Jewish and Gentile Christians in Rome must learn to live together instead of quarrelling over their different practices. As he writes to them, he uses as an illustration two kinds of Christians. Each group is regarded by the other as ‘weak in faith’ because of what they eat or refuse to eat, because of the feast days and holidays they observe or fail to celebrate. Too easily we can become focussed in an unforgiving way on the details and the practices of others rather than living out our shared and common faith.

The weak are welcome as full members of the community, for God has welcomed them, he says (verse 3). Their expressions of piety may include not eating meat, fasting regularly (verses 5-6) and abstaining from wine (verse 21).

It was bad manners in Roman society to pass judgement on the conduct of another master’s servant, who answered to his own lord or master. In the same way, each Christian answers to the Lord and should not be criticised. What matters is one’s own conviction before God is what matters. We should not judge, for God will judge us at the end of time and ‘each of us will be accountable to God’ (verse 12).

Seeking Justice … a painting by Una Heaton in a pub in Adare, Co Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 18: 21-35:

Christ has told the disciples in the previous Sunday’s reading how the community is to discipline those who disrupt its harmony by going against God’s ways. However, they should realise that God forgives many times.

Saint Peter asks how many times he should forgive, and is told 'not seven times but, I tell you, seventy-seven times,' or, as some sources put it, seventy times seven.

We have seen many times in recent weeks how the number seven always indicates holiness, as in the seventh day, the seventh month, the seventh year or ‘year of release,’ and the Jubilee year that follows seven cycles of seven years. As the former Chief Rabbi Lord (Jonathan) Sacks says, seven is the symbol of the holy, that God exists beyond time and space.

But what about the number 70?

Talmudic scholars approach the Torah as if it has ‘seventy faces’ (Numbers Rabbah 13: 15-16). The number 70 also has sacred significance in Biblical Hebrew: 70 is the number of people who first went down to Egypt, the elders chosen by Moses, the years of King David, the Babylonian exile, the sages of the Sanhedrin, the translators of the Septuagint, the words of Kiddush, the nations of the world …

As the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy points out in The Genius of Judaism, the number 70 is ‘no ordinary number.’ He calls it the ‘secret universal.’ It represents the fullness of humanity, the ‘other universal that escorts human beings on the path of their history and to the centre of their substance.’ It is ‘the number of infinity extended.’

So, Christ tells us in this reading that divine forgiveness is to be extended ‘seventy-seven times’ or ‘seventy times seven’ – in other words, forgiveness in its abundance is holy in its giving and infinite in its reach.

In the second part of this reading, Christ explains what he is saying in a parable that is unique to Saint Matthew’s Gospel and that involves three distinct but linked episodes:

1, A king decides to settle his accounts with his slaves or servants – the word δοῦλος doulos means either, so those who first heard this parable could imagine an end-of-year audit with court officials, financiers or tax collectors. One of these officials owes 10,000 talents, which has been calculated as the equivalent to €3,877,551,979 today. This is no ordinary slave, or servant, to accumulate a debt of this magnitude. Of course, he is unable to clear a debt of such magnitude.

The king might have been reminded that in mitzvah 234, one of the 613 commandments or mitvot in Jewish law, it is prohibited to demand payment from a debtor who is known to be unable to pay (see Exodus 22: 24). Although the lender has the right to have his money returned, he may not embarrass the borrower by harassing him, and the lender is forbidden to seize the debtor’s land or to sell him or his family into slavery to secure payment.

When the servant seeks forgiveness, the king goes beyond the narrow constraints of rabbinical law, shows overflowing generosity, and agrees to clear off the loan.

2, Now, however, this senior official demands the repayment of a loan of three month’s wages, 100 denarii – equivalent to €7,473 in today’s money – from a lower-level servant for whom he is the line manager. The lower-ranking official asks for forgiveness, and, once again, the senior official might have been reminded of the command among the 613 commandments not to take a pledge from a debtor by force (mitzvah 239; see Deuteronomy 24: 10). But the man who has already been forgiven so much now refuses to forgive when it is his turn, his opportunity, and even his obligation, and he compounds his transgressions with his use of force.

3, When the king hears about this, he retracts his original forgiveness and has the first slave tortured – probably for ever.

After telling this parable, Christ explains it and identifies the principle figures: the king is God, the first slave is any Christian, and the second slave is any other person.

Christ makes a point about each episode:

1, God loves us so much that he will forgive any sin, not matter how unforgiveable it may seem.

2, It is absurd to live in a way that is contrary to God’s love and mercy.

3, Those who accept forgiveness from God but fail to forgive others will bring down judgment on themselves.

Forgiveness and love in the face of death and mass murder … a fading rose on the fence at Birkenau (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

An additional reflection on the readings:

I have to admit to having some difficulties with the readings from the Book Exodus in recent few weeks.

It was fine two weeks earlier, when Moses met God on Mount Sinai, and took off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground.

But then last Sunday [6 September 2020], we had very specific details about how the Passover Lamb is to be killed and cooked, with splattering of blood on doorposts and lintels, specific details about how to cook the lamb and how to eat it – tough going, and not only for this vegetarian.

And then we have the warning that the first-born are going to be slain. It is an image of God that is terrifying. And then it is followed up this morning with a story in which we meet the Angel of the Lord or the Angel of Death.

The Angel of Death plays a very terrifying role in an oratorio written by the great English composer, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958), Dona nobis pacem.

The fifth movement in this oratorio is called ‘The Angel of Death.’ Vaughan Williams derived his text for this movement from a speech in the House of Commons in 1855 by the great Victorian politician and reformer, John Bright, in which he condemned the Crimean War.

John Bright (1811-1889) was almost a lone voice in opposing the Crimean War. In that speech, he drew on images in the Passover story in the Book Exodus, where the Angel of Death kills the first-born children of Egypt, but spares any Israelite where the lintels and the door posts have been painted with the blood of the lamb (see Exodus 12: 21-32).

Of course, the Exodus story makes no mention of the ‘Angel of Death’ as the author of this final plague. But John Bright’s eloquence helped to popularise this image.

However, his speech did not stop the Crimean War, and 600,000 people were left dead.

When Vaughan Williams was writing his oratorio, Bright’s speech was finding new relevance in England with the rise of Nazism and Fascism on Continental Europe, and a fear of yet another great war.

Vaughan Williams uses these words to create an atmosphere of anxiety and expectation, which leaves us wondering whether the war will ever end, whether we shall ever find peace.

The fifth movement begins with Bright’s words: ‘The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land …’ In the final movement, the fearful news of the presence of the Angel of Death causes the chorus to burst into another cry for peace, but only more trouble follows: ‘We looked for peace, but no good came … The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved …’

These words have relevance once again today as we worry about war or violence on city streets or the death toll during the Covid-19 pandemic. And they may have more relevance if the European project, having saved much of Europe from the horrors of war for over two generations, collapses after the combination of a 'No-Deal Brexit' and the economic changes brought about by the pandemic.

But if the image of the Angel of Death in this reading disturbs us, we are not the first.

Not only do I find myself asking why Pharaoh and his army had to drown. Why could events not take another turn so that they arrive late, after the people cross and after the waters return?

To make matters worse, Moses and the Israelites later sing a triumphant song of gratitude to God for wiping out their enemies, declaring: ‘God is a Man of War’ (see Exodus 15:3). The Bible does not get any more masculine and militaristic than that.

Why is this Shirat Hayam (‘Song of the Sea’) so violent and unforgiving?

Where is God’s compassion and mercy?

This story is part of a longer Biblical passage known to Jews as Beshalach (בְּשַׁלַּח‎ – ‘when he let go).’ It is read in synagogues on a Saturday around January or February, a Saturday that is known as Shabbat Shirah after the ‘Song of the Sea.’

The reading calls up the contrasting images of God parting the waters of Creation (Genesis 1: 6) and God promising after the Flood that the world would never be flooded or drowned again (Genesis 9: 11). So, this is a reading that we need to search through for promises of new creation and God’s redemption.

Traditional Jewish commentaries have been sensitive to the ethical problems this story creates. The Talmud says that when they see the Egyptians drowning, the angels are about to break into song. But God silences them declaring, ‘How dare you sing for joy when my creatures are dying’ (Talmud, Megillah 10b, Sanhedrin 39b).

Rabbi Johanan says that when the Egyptians are drowning in the sea, the angels want to sing a song of rejoicing. But God rebukes them, asking them rhetorically: ‘The work of my hands is being drowned in the sea, and you want to sing songs?’

The Talmud reminds us that our personal elation should never make us forget the misfortunes afflicting others (Berachot 31a). The mediaeval commentaries or Tosafot say this is the source for the Jewish custom of breaking a glass at the end of a wedding ceremony. This is also given as the reason why Jews spill out drops of wine on Seder night, the night of the Passover meal, as a reminder that the cup of deliverance and celebration cannot be full when others have to suffer.

The mediaeval rabbis point out that God continues to pour out pity and mercy for the rest of life even while wrongdoers are destroyed. Even when the oppressors engage in gross evil, God is open to forgiveness.

When DreamWorks made the movie Prince of Egypt (1998), they realised it was not politically correct to show the Israelites singing for joy at the death of their foes, so they had them begin to sing the ‘Song of the Sea’ as soon as they left Egypt. The song ‘When You believe,’ which became a hit single, refers to God’s power but conveniently avoids any mention of violence.

‘The Song of the Sea,’ or ‘The Song of Miriam’, is so challenging, so disturbing, that the General Synod dropped it from the canticles in the edition of the Book of Common Prayer published by the Church of Ireland in 2004.

There is a dichotomy. If we are not happy that evil has been punished, then we do not care enough. But if we are not sad at the loss of life, then our humanity is weakened. The Prophet Ezekiel reminds us: ‘As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live’ (Ezekiel 33: 11).

Perhaps the two shores of the sea represent two sides of the one story. Perhaps, for us, we must pass through the middle, preserving and valuing life, yet not drowning in war and hate. The middle path between justice and mercy is a difficult one to tread and at any moment we can be washed away. We need to tread carefully and try not to get wet.

These are dilemmas that lead us to the ethical problems in the Epistle reading (Romans 14: 1-12) and in the Gospel reading (Matthew 18: 21-35).

I often find the call to forgive a much greater moral dilemma than some of the questions I ask about the Old Testament reading.

The Apostle Paul challenges us: ‘Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God’ (verse 10).

And in the Gospel reading, Christ calls us to forgive in a way that is so difficult that I am still wrestling with it.

Clergy in the Church of Ireland like to joke – when we step outside the rule books and do things that our bishops might not approve of – that it is easier to ask for forgiveness afterwards than permission beforehand.

Many of us grew up with language that chided us, so that when we did something wrong and said sorry, we were told, ‘Sorry is not enough,’ ‘Sorry doesn’t fix anything,’ or ‘Sorry is only a word.’ These are phrases that allow a hurt person to withhold forgiveness, to find a form of comfort in their own hurt, to control us in a way that allows us to know mercilessly how much we are in need of mercy.

But we now live in a culture of half-hearted apologies that are difficult to forgive. Politicians claim they are accepting responsibility for their decisions by resigning – which means they never have to answer for their actions. Public figures who are loose with their words later apologise half-heartedly – ‘I am sorry if I have offended you’ – so that those who are hurt now feel that they need to apologise for their response, for their reaction, for being hurt.

There are times that I have no right to forgive, when it is not my place to forgive. I cannot forgive the perpetrators of the Holocaust, because, no matter how many times I have visited places that are an intimate part of the Holocaust story, I am not one of the victims.

I cannot forgive the slaveholders or the mass murderers in wars and killing fields, because I am not one of their victims. On the other hand, perhaps, because I am not a victim, I might find it is not so difficult.

The true difficulties arise in my own personal life. The members of my own family, lost friends, near neighbours, former colleagues I think have hurt me in the past. I walk around with perceived slights, insults and hurts, as if they are some sort of crutch that helps the wounded, broken me to walk through this broken and hurting world.

But then I am reminded, time and again, by the Christ who loves me so much, of what ‘my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

I try, and I fail, and I try again, because I too need to tread carefully between the divided waters of mercy and justice and try not to get wet, so that I may turn from my ways and live.

‘And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt’ (Matthew 18: 27) … a stained-glass window in Saint Michael’s Church, Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Matthew 18: 21-35 (NRSVA):

21 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

23 ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” 29 Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything’ (Matthew 18: 29) … a collection of denarii among old Greek coins in an exhibition in Callan, Co Kilkenny (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Liturgical resources:

Liturgical colour: Green (Ordinary Time, Year A).

The Collect of the Day:

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
Give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Collect of the Word:

O God,
you call your Church to witness
that in Christ we are reconciled to you:
help us to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who hear it may turn to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

The Post-Communion Prayer:

Lord God, the source of truth and love:
Keep us faithful to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
united in prayer and the breaking of bread,
and one in joy and simplicity of heart,
in Jesus Christ our Lord.



Speaking on the readings on Vocation Sunday:

During these few weeks, we are reding the story of God calling the enslaved people to freedom. That promise of and call to freedom comes not just to each of those slaves as individuals, but to the scattered households, families and tribes who are being called as a people, and who are about to enter into a covenantal relationship with God.

That call to freedom is not only a call to personal, social and political freedom, but a call to enjoy and exercise to worship God freely. Pharaoh’s sin is not only in keeping them enslaved, but also is refusing them the right to worship God freely.

But while the people are called to freedom by God and led to their freedom by a pillar of cloud and light, they are constantly reminded of their purpose – the call to worship God and to enter a new relationship with God – through the leadership of the brothers Moses and Aaron and their sister Miriam.

At first, Moses is reluctant to hear God’s call, excusing himself because he is not articulate enough and because his past life has been anything but exemplary. But, reluctant though he is, when Moses answers that call, God does great things though him, and Moses is called on also to ordain or consecrate Aaron to priestly or religious leadership of the people.

Many people may think they are hearing God’s call to ministry in the Church, among God’s people, but are often reluctant to listen to that call, finding excuses in their past life or their present skills. They may be relying on the encouragement of others – a sermon next Sunday, an encouraging word at the church door, an invitation to look at the accompanying video clip – to give themselves permission to listen to whether God is calling them and to test whether the Church is offering to train and equip them.

As Saint Paul says in the Epistle reading, ‘We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s’ (Romans 14: 7-8).

The Gospel reading talks about forgiveness being at the heart of the ministry and the mission of the Church. In Ireland today, in the world today, these are core Gospel values that clearly need to be spoken, preached and lived out.

The call to ministry is not necessarily to ordained ministry. Many people serve the Church and serve the world in countless ways that go unnoticed and without affirmation. But the Church constantly needs people in ministry – including people in ordained ministry and as commissioned readers – and next Sunday may be the moment someone in your parish is waiting for to ask themselves whether God is calling them and the Church is willing to train and equip them.

Suggested prayers for Vocation Sunday:

Lord help us to believe that we are all ordinary people made extraordinary through your vision and your power. Take our insecurities and feelings of inadequacy and give us the courage to see ourselves and others as you see us, with gifts and potential to transform your world and build your Kingdom. Amen.

Lord, you call us by our names. Help us to be confident in our own unique identity. To find opportunities to develop our specific gifts and our passions. Enable us to hear and recognise the call of Jesus in our lives, and those of others. Help us to find appropriate and life-giving ways to spread your Good News in a way which draws others to you and helps them experience your radical and extraordinary love. Amen.

Lord, enable your church to be the safe harbour as we search and explore a vocation in life and in ministry. Help it to be the lighthouse too, enabling us all to navigate our lives with skilfulness and joy, risking an adventure in Christ as we follow his leading, believing against the odds that we will discover the vitality of a new vocation. Amen.

God who calls us all to contribute to His Kingdom, take our insecurities and vulnerabilities and weave them through with your holy confidence, which always reassures us that we have something to offer. As we explore what you are asking of us, we pray for integrity of heart, clarity of mind, and a yearning to love and serve others wherever that may take us; For deep peace about this next step, and for God’s Light in our eyes. Amen.

God of every aspect of our lives, help us to hear clearly what you are asking of us each day, whatever situation we find ourselves in. You are the God who calls us to stay where we are or to move at your bidding: to seek and speak courageously, sharing your love, defending the vulnerable and bringing dignity to those who have no voice. Help us to sense your presence, in perseverance and in hope, in those everyday places which can be continuously renewed by your grace. Amen.

Loving and Generous God, it is You who call us by name and ask us to follow You. Help us to grow in the Love and Service of our Church as we experience it today. Give us the energy and courage of Your Spirit to shape its future. Grant us faith-filled leaders who will embrace Christ's Mission of love and justice. Bless your Church by raising up dedicated and generous leaders from our church, families and friends who will serve Your people. Inspire us to know You better and open our hearts to hear Your call. Amen.

God our Father, Lord of all the world, through your Son you have called us into the fellowship of your universal Church: hear our prayer for your faithful people that in their vocation and ministry each may be an instrument of your love, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, you have entrusted to your Church a share in the ministry of your Son our great high priest: inspire by your Holy Spirit the hearts of many to offer themselves for the ministry of your Church, that strengthened by his power, they may work for the increase of your kingdom and set forward the eternal praise of your name; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, look with compassion on the world you have redeemed by the death of your Son Jesus Christ. Move the hearts of many to offer themselves for the sacred ministry of your Church, so that by their lives and labours your light may shine in the darkness and the coming of your kingdom be advanced, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus, Lord and Master, you transform the lives of men and women. In your strength we can do all things and please our sovereign God. Tame our natures Lord, mould us to your need, fashion us to your taste, and conform us to your will. Enable us and all who hear your call to ministry to give ourselves generously to your service. Send us as workers into the Church and into the world. Amen.

Lord, as you called your disciples, call us now.
Open our ears to listen to you calling;
Open our eyes to see you;
Open our hearts to your love.
Help us to hear you, to experience your presence with us and to love you.
And loving you, let us serve you, our servant King. Amen.

Seeking justice and mercy … the scales of justice depicted on the Precentor’s Stall in the choir in Lichfield Cathedral (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Suggested Hymns:

Exodus 14: 19-31:

254, At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
262, Come, ye faithful, raise the strain
647, Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
652, Lead us heavenly Father, lead us
657, O God of Bethel, by whose hand
537, O God, our help in ages past
661, Through the night of doubt and sorrow

Psalm 114:

325, Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One is here
646, Glorious things of thee are spoken
557, Rock of ages, cleft for me

Genesis 50: 15-21:

550, ‘Forgive our sins, as we forgive’

Psalm 103: (1-7) 8-13:

1, Bless the Lord, my soul
686, Bless the Lord, the God of our forebears
688, Come, bless the Lord, God of our forebears
349, Fill thou my life, O Lord my God
80, Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father
33, O Lord of every shining constellation
366, Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
365, Praise to the Lord, the almighty, the King of creation
660, Thine for ever, God of love
47, We plough the fields and scatter
374, When all thy mercies, O my God

Romans 14: 1-12:

147, Angels from the realms of glory
94, In the name of Jesus
272, Jesus lives: thy terrors now
277, Love’s redeeming work is done

Matthew 18: 21-35:

550, ‘Forgive our sins, as we forgive’
421, I come with joy, a child of God
503, Make me a channel of your peace
623, Our heavenly Father, through your Son

Vocation Sunday:

Suggested hymns and songs from the Church Hymnal:

10, All my hope on God is founded
559, All to Jesus I surrender
643, Be thou my vision
517, Brother, sister, let me serve you
219 From heaven you came (The Servant King)
478, Go forth and tell
581, I, the Lord of sea and sky (Here I am, Lord)
587, Just as I am, without one plea
503, Make me a channel of your peace
658, One more step along the world I go
597, Take my life and let it be
491, We have a Gospel to proclaim
492, Ye servants of God your master proclaim
567, Will you come and follow me
605 Forth, in thy name, O Lord, I go
584, Jesus calls us! O’er the tumult
636, May the mind of Christ my Saviour
593, O Jesus, I have promised

Suggested ‘Contemporary Songs’:

Build my life (Housefires)
God of justice (Tim Hughes)
I will offer up my life (Matt Redman)
Lord I give you my heart (Michael W Smith)
The Stand (Hillsong)
This is our God (Graham Kendrick)
One thing remains (Jesus Culture)

USPG is offering a pre-recorded sermon by the Revd Dr Carlton Turner for use with online services on Sunday 13 September

An additional resource for 13 September 2020:

The Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel) is offering a free pre-recorded sermon for Sunday 13 September 2020. This sermon will be delivered by the Revd Dr Carlton Turner, a USPG trustee and a lecturer at the Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham.

It will be available on Thursday 10 September 2020, for use in online worship the following Sunday (13 September 2020).

Next month, the Revd Jessie Anand, Assistant Priest at Christ Church, Clapham, will be providing the sermon for Sunday 11 October.

To order these sermons for your church or parish, please email Gwen Mtambirwa, Mission Engagement Co-ordinator, gwenm@uspg.org.uk In the email, include the name of your church (if it is for a church service), the time of the service, and if you have one, attach a high-resolution photo of your church to your email as a jpeg.

USPG sends these sermons to you by the Thursday prior to the Sunday of use.

‘Lord … how often should I forgive?’ … ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times’ (Matthew 18: 21-22) … what is the significance of the number 70 in this reading? (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)

Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The hymns suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)

Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.


‘Dona nobis pacem’ with the Eastman-Rochester Chorus, the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra and Michaela Anthony, soprano